Likely Human to Human H5N1 Transmission in Jakarta Cluster
Recombinomics Commentary 14:38
February 12, 2008
A 15-year-old female from West Jakarta, Jakarta Province developed symptoms on 2 February, was hospitalized on 8 February and is currently in hospital in a critical condition. The case is the daughter of a previously confirmed case, the 38-year-old female from West Jakarta, Jakarta Province who developed symptoms on 23 January.
Investigations into the source of her infection are ongoing. However, she was exposed to her sick mother on 27-28 January and spent time in a neighbourbood where chickens and other birds were found.
The above comments from the WHO update describe a confirmed cluster in West Jakarta. The gap in the disease onset dates, as well as the timing of the exposure indicates this is a case of human to human transmission. Although H5N1 infections of humans have been high in Indonesia, and highest in the Jakarta area, the likelihood to two family members being independently infected is remote. However, the likelihood of transmission within a family is high, because of close contact that is common between family members.
The “exposure” of the 15F to her 38F mother probably involved visits to her mother, who was hospitalized on January 26 in Tangerang and was subsequently transfered and was in critical condition.
In this instance, sequencing of H5N1 from the two patients would be useful.
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